


coffee for the owl boy

by keijibub



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: BokuAka Week 2020, Coffee Shops, Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:48:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25653883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keijibub/pseuds/keijibub
Summary: The silent humming of the espresso machine, the soft music playing overhead, the sweet aroma of coffee, and the cute university boy that studied near the windowsill everyday were some of the biggest reasons why Akaashi Keiji loved working at his part-time job at the coffee shop.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42





	coffee for the owl boy

**Author's Note:**

> day 1 of bokuaka week; coffee shop au!

The silent humming of the espresso machine, the soft music playing overhead, the sweet aroma of coffee, and the cute university boy that studied near the windowsill everyday were some of the biggest reasons why Akaashi Keiji loved working at his part-time job at the coffee shop.

"Afternoon, Kenma," Akaashi says, putting his apron over his head.

Kenma slowly blinks and yawns over his way, waving his hand a little. Akaashi chuckles before washing his hands and getting ready for his shift for the day.

He steals a quick glance towards the windowsill and frowns when he notices that the usual guy that occupied that seat wasn't there yet. "Owl boy not here yet?" Kenma asks, suddenly right behind Akaashi.

Startled, Akaashi lets out a shaky laugh. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he says nervously, moving over to the espresso station to make himself a drink.

Kenma rolls his eyes. "Akaashi, you can't try to hide anything from me. We've been friends for 6 years; I know you like an open book at this point."

Akaashi sighs. Kenma was right; there was no way he could hide anything from him. "Okay, okay, fine, but what's up with the nickname? Owl boy? Really?" Akaashi shoots him a glare from the side of his eyes.

Kenma leans back on the counter, shrugging his shoulders. "He looks like an owl. What more does it need?"

"Never mind, Kenma." Akaashi sighs. "Anyways, have you figured out who's going to be in charge of decorating the chalkboard outside?"

Kenma nods. "Yeah, you."

"What? You know I'm not good with those kind of things!"

"I'm even worse. So you'll have to do it."

Before Akaashi could argue back, a chime from the front doors cause the two workers to snap their heads towards the front. Akaashi's stomach did flips as the cute "owl boy" appears, heading his way to the counter.

Kenma nudges at Akaashi. "He's all yours," he says with a wink.

Akaashi mutters curses to Kenma's way before smiling at owl boy, saying, "Hey, what can I get for you today?"

However, there was little point in asking owl boy his order because Akaashi already knew what he would get. A warm matcha latte.

As owl boy heads over to his usual seat, Akaashi hurries to make the drink, and Kenma watches him from afar, clearly amused. "So, what art are you going to make him this time?" Kenma asks.

"You know... I think I'm going to make him an owl."

Another chime in the front causes Kenma to groan and actually get to work. "Kenma!"

Kenma grunts a greeting to Kuroo, his "best friend", but everyone, including Akaashi, knew that they clearly had something more going on. 

"How's work going," Kuroo asks, a slight grin on his face because he knew how much Kenma hated him visiting during his work hours.

"Why're you here, Kuroo. You know I don't like you coming to see me here."

"Nice to see you to, sunshine. And don't worry, I'm not here to see you, my friend's waiting for me," Kuroo says, gesturing towards owl boy's area.

Kenma's eyes spark with interest. "Wait. You know owl boy?"

Kuroo laughs. "Bokuto? Yeah I know him, he's my best bud here. And did you just call him owl boy?"

Akaashi slowly heads over to owl head's table, careful not to spill the drink he had just made. A cute latte art of an owl innocently stared back at him, and Akaashi couldn't help but to feel a little nervous. He had always made owl boy latte art, but they were always generic, like a leaf or a heart. Never had he made something so specific for him.

Pushing away his nervous thoughts, he places the drink onto the table. "Here's your drink, sir. Enjoy!"

Owl boy looks up from his books, and his eyes brighten when he sees the owl peeping back at him. "Oh wow! How'd you know I liked owls?" He looks at Akaashi with a grin so wide, it made Akaashi blush. "Thank you, uh..." Owl boy squints to look at the name tag hanging on the apron. "Akaashi, is it?"

Akaashi's heart skipped a beat when he heard his name come out of the other's lips. "Y-yes. And you are?"

The other boy raises his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, I'm Bokuto! Design major at the uni just down the street!"

Akaashi's ears perk up at "design major". "Wait, are you good at art then? I'm kind of looking for someone artsy to help me out at the shop here..." Akaashi immediately regrets asking him that. What was he thinking? So what if Bokuto did art, why would Bokuto agree to Akaashi, he wouldn't even get paid, plus Bokuto's probably busy with studying and, university! He would be too busy with uni and he wouldn't have time to help out at all-

"Yeah, I do actually! What can I help out with?"

Akaashi blinks, his thoughts at a complete pause. "Well... I just need someone to come in the morning and design the chalkboard outside the shop. I have an early morning shift and then this shift right now... so my manager and coworkers kind of dumped that responsibility on me... and I have no artistic skills whatsoever...."

"Oh, that doesn't sound too hard! I'd love to help out!!"

Akaashi couldn't believe his ears. "Wait... you're willing to help me?"

Bokuto beams. "Of course! I pass by the shop every day to school anyways, so why not? Plus your drinks are the best!"

Akaashi almost melts from gratefulness and also because how cute this guy was. "You're a lifesaver. For real. Thank you so much! I'll see you at 5 tomorrow morning!"

Bokuto's smile falters a little. "F-five? In the morning?"

Nodding, Akaashi chuckles as he walks back behind the counter. "No backing out now!"

-the next morning-

"Akaashi! Good morning!"

Akaashi's sleepy eyes lift under the heavy pressure of sleepiness as Bokuto walks through the front. How could one man have so much energy in the morning? "Good morning, Bokuto. Thanks again for coming in today."

"No problem! I'm guessing you're not an early bird, huh?" Bokuto asks, noticing the yawns Akaashi was trying to supress.

Akaashi gives him a sheepish smile. "You caught me. Let's go, I'll show you where the materials are."

After getting Bokuto all situated with the chalkboard, Akaashi couldn't help but notice once more how attractive he was. His unique hair seemed to be a bit messier due to it being so early in the morning, but for some reason, Akaashi found that so much more endearing. He was supposed to be getting ready to open the shop, but he couldn't help but get distracted by Bokuto.

His long arms, his calculating gaze, the small bit of tongue the stuck out of his mouth from concentration; Akaashi noticed all the little things and couldn't take his eyes away from him. Bokuto seemed too focused to notice, so Akaashi ended up staring at him for a while before snapping back to reality and hastily getting back to work.

About 30 minutes later, Bokuto comes back to the counter, chalk dust all over his hands and face. "Akaashi! I finished, would you like to see?"

Bokuto proudly holds up the chalkboard, and Akaashi takes his time to admire the beautiful handwriting and cute little doodles Bokuto had added in. "Wow... that looks really good, Bokuto."

He beams. "Right? I think I'm kinda good at this!"

"Well you are a design major..."

"Shhh you don't know that."

Akaashi grins, shaking his head in amusement. "Come back here and wash your face, you look like a mess." Akaashi's eyes widen as he realizes what he just said. "N-no, I'm so sorry, you don't look like a mess, it's just you have chalk all ove-"

Bokuto's laugh cuts through his words. "Oh, come on, Akaashi, I know what you meant. Friends can joke around, can't they?"

Relief fills Akaashi to the brim. Friends. That was a good start. He shows Bokuto where the sink was and decides to make him a free drink as a thank you for helping him out. Akaashi gets started, but from the sink, Bokuto calls out, "Akaashi? I can't get the sink to turn on for some reason?"

Akaashi frowns. That's odd. He makes his way over to the sink and tries the handle himself. It wouldn't even budge. "Hm, that's weird, it kind of seems like it's jammed? That's never... happened before..." Akaashi turned his head to face Bokuto's and he just noticed how close they were.

Bokuto had such a concerned look on his face, it took Akaashi everything he had in him to not burst out laughing from how adorable he looked. He slightly shifted, and Akaashi could feel his arm brush against the other's chest. Immidiately, his face blushed red.

Akaashi snaps his head back towards the sink, trying to hide his nerves. "Gosh, this is so weird. Why won't it AACK!"

He gave the handle one more big twist, and a sudden, strong burst of water shot straight out of the faucet, drenching Akaashi and Bokuto in the process.

"Turn it off, turn it off!" Bokuto yelled, covering his face with his hands.

"I'm trying!" Akaashi yelled back. They wrestled with the handle once more for a few seconds before Akaashi was able to jerk it back into place.

Water completely soaked the front of Akaashi's apron, which wasn't a big deal, he could always change into spare clothes in the workroom. Bokuto on the other hand had droplets of water covering him, slowly dripping down his face and hair. Akaashi was mortified.

Before he could say anything though, Bokuto tilted his head back and started laughing. And a few moments later, Akaashi joined him. It seemed like time stopped for a second, because at this point, everything seemed perfect to Akaashi. The laugh sounded like pure music, his smile was so pure, and when Bokuto placed his hand on Akaashi's shoulder to calm himself, Akaashi felt himself suck in a breath.

"God, that was a mess!" Bokuto exclaimed, a faint of a smile still on his face. Akaashi, still slightly stunned, nods, and looks up to face Bokuto. Once again, they were just centimeters apart, except this time, Bokuto was staring right back at him.

He could feel their heavy breathing as they came back down from their adrenaline, he could feel their warm breaths intermingling, he could smell the slight smell of cologne from Bokuto, he could hear the drips of water from their clothes plopping onto the floor beneath them, he could sense Bokuto slightly leaning in, and himself leaning in as well.

The chime from the front door breaks their moment, and Akaashi jumps back a little in surprise. "Kenma? What are you doing here?" Akaashi asks, a bit shocked that Kenma could physically wake up at this time.

Kenma's eyes were wide as he stared back and forth between Bokuto and Akaashi, disbelief written all over his face. "I came in early to help you with the board... but it seems like you already got that covered..."

Akaashi clears his throat awkwardly before remembering that Bokuto was completely drenched. "Oh gosh, you must be freezing, here let me get you a towel and-"

"Ah, no it's fine! Really! My dorm is literally a few blocks down the street so I can just change there! Um. I'll be going now! See you later!"

Bokuto hurries to gather his stuff and leaves the shop, obviously very flustered. Akaashi stands near the sink, speechless. "What was that?" Kenma asks, a sly grin on his face.

Akaashi blushed. "D-don't give me that look, Kenma, nothing happened!"

"I didn't say anything did."

He glares at Kenma. Kenma laughs. "So, what do you think now that you've talked to him? Owl boy still cute?"

"His name's Bokuto." A slight smile appears on Akaashi's face. "And I think I'm in love."

Kenma bursts out laughing, and Akaashi couldn't believe he just said that out loud. For the rest of the day, Kenma kept teasing Akaashi, singing love songs and randomly saying "owl boy" out of nowhere.

The next few weeks passed by fairly quickly. Bokuto and Akaashi met every morning where Bokuto would work on the chalkboard and Akaashi would make a free drink for him. Their exchanges were light and comfortable, but it was never as intimate as their first morning together.

Akaashi would see Bokuto later in the afternoons when he came in to study, and even then, Bokuto would end up staying near the counter to talk to Akaashi about anything and everything about himself. Most of the time Akaashi would have to interrupt and remind Bokuto he needed to study.

As the weeks went by, Akaashi's feelings grew bigger. The warm, comforting feeling Bokuto gave off was so addicting, and Akaashi wanted to know more about this boy.

One particular morning, Bokuto came in looking a bit nervous. "Good morning, Bokuto. Is everything alright?"

"Hi, Akaashi. Everything's great! Yep, everything's alright. Well, I'll get started on the board! See ya!"

Akaashi frowned, feeling a bit concerned for the boy, but he brushed it off and started making a drink for Bokuto.

Minutes pass, and Bokuto comes back into the shop empty-handed. "Everything good?" Akaashi asks again.

Bokuto nods. "Yep! I got it all figured out!" Akaashi frowns. Normally, Bokuto would come back with the chalkboard in hand, eager to show Akaashi how it looked that day.

"Where's the board today?"

Nervously, Bokuto laughs, scratching the back of his head. "Oh, um, would you mind looking at it after I leave? There's a little surprise for you..."

Akaashi's taken aback. A little surprise?

"Well, since I'm done, I'll be leaving now! Thanks for the drink!" Bokuto quickly gathers his things and leaves the shop with a big smile and a quick wave. Akaashi was bewildered. Normally, Bokuto would hang around a bit more, watching Akaashi as he starts all the different machines and get started for the day. What was going on with him?

Akaashi leaves the counter and heads outside to see what Bokuto meant by "little surprise". Everything seemed pretty normal. Once again, Akaashi took notice to all the little details Bokuto had made. His slightly messy, but still kind of neat handwriting was one of Akaashi's favorite penmanship to read from, and the small flowers and leaves and coffee beans splattered around the board made the whole thing seem much more alive.

But something catches Akaashi's eyes. At the bottom right corner, there was a small owl with an arrow underneath it. Akaashi picks up the board, lifting it closer up so he could see it better. Was it suggesting him to turn the board around?

Akaashi flips the board to the back, and gasps when he sees himself. It was a very impressive work of art, considering the fact that it was drawn with chalk, and every single color in the chalk box was used. It was a simple drawing, just Akaashi's face surrounded by different types of drinks that were on the menu. It was beautiful.

Stunned, Akaashi didn't know what to say. He didn't even know what to think. All he knew was that the feelings he thought were already strong? They were growing at a much faster pace now. His heart skipped a beat when he noticed an oh so familiar handwriting at the bottom of the chalkboard.

'Look behind you'

Akaashi quickly turns his head around to see a nervous Bokuto with a single flower in his hand. "Akaashi... the past few weeks with you all feel like a dream. I don't know how lucky I am to be friends with such an awesome guy like you, but lately I've been thinking." A pause. "I really, really like you, Akaashi. Not just as a friend but even more."

Before Bokuto could say the rest of the words he had practiced endlessly the night before, Akaashi sets the chalkboard on the ground and runs to the other, embracing him with a tight hug. Bokuto instinctively puts his arms around Akaashi's waist and picks him up.

"I like you, I like you, I like you so much," Akaashi says into the other's neck, finally releasing his trapped thoughts into freedom. Bokuto laughs, hugging him even tighter.

"Oh thank god! You have no idea how nervous I was. Be my boyfriend?"

Akaashi smiled even wider at the sound of those words. "How could I say no to you?"

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading !
> 
> check out my twitter @/keijibub if you'd like :D


End file.
